It is well known within the landscaping and/or irrigation business that sprinkler keys are typically used at the work site to manually turn sprinkler heads/valves either on or off. In most cases the sprinkler head and/or valve is commonly positioned within an access hole underground and is only accessible via use of a standard sprinkler key. The standard sprinkler key is substantially a T-shaped tool which is of a length to extend downward into the access hole. The elongated downward leg of the T-shaped tool includes a gripping member which is of a shape and size to mate with the standard sprinkler head and/or valve stem. In use, when the sprinkler key is inserted into the access hole the workman must manipulate the gripping member in a somewhat circular pattern until the gripping member fits over and/or onto the sprinkler head and/or valve stem in a mating relationship. Upon engagement and locking the gripping member onto the sprinkler head/valve, the workman can then turn the key and regulate the sprinklers water flow between an open and closed position.
However, alignment between the gripping member and the sprinkler head/valve can be very difficult, frustrating and time consuming as the workman cannot visually see downward into the access hole. Thus, the workman relies solely on manipulating the key into proper engagement by “feel” and “guesswork” alone. Therefore, if the sprinkler valve on/off key were to include a light source to illuminate the gripping member and sprinkler head/valve, this would be a great advantage and simply the overall process.
Within the known prior art there has never been heretofore a sprinkler valve on/off key that includes any type of light or the like. However, workman have recognized this problem within other fields, such as electricians and the like who often work in poorly-lit environments. As a result, they invented some standard type hand tools (such as screwdrivers and nut-drivers) that include a light for illuminating nuts, bolts, screws, etc. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,242,536, 4,324,158 and 5,577,829 disclose tools having some type of light source. However, the applicant could not find any references wherein a sprinkler valve on/off key is utilized for illuminating the gripping member and sprinkler head/valve that is located within an access hole below ground.